A Gift Worth Unwrapping
by ladycobert
Summary: Cobert Holiday Smut Fanfiction Exchange: Someone inadvertently opens Robert's Christmas gift for Cora.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is part of the Cobert Holiday (Smut) Fanfiction Exchange - and very late, so I apologize profusely and hope my story makes up for it. There will be two chapters, so stay tuned...

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Christmas Eve, 1920

It was Christmas Eve, and Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, was extremely proud of himself. He had, for the first time, gotten a special Christmas gift for each of the women in his life all on his own, with no help from his wife or daughters or sister. Most of the gifts were wrapped – something he had also done for the first time himself – and waiting for their recipients under the big tree downstairs. However, two gifts had only finally arrived earlier that day, having come from Paris, and he still needed to wrap them. He stood alone in his dressing room, looking down on the two identical boxes resting on his bed. He had ordered the items from the same famous Parisian boutique, but the contents could not be more different.

Robert opened one of the boxes and lifted out an exquisite royal blue evening shawl of tissue-fine silk, embroidered with an intricate pattern of leaves and flowers in a slightly darker shade of blue. He had seen the shawl in the boutique catalogue and thought that the color would look particularly fine on his darling Mary, that it would cause her brown eyes to stand out in even richer contrast. Carefully, he replaced the shawl, making sure that the tissue paper covered it fully. Then he sat down at his writing table and wrote out a special card, as he had done with each of the gifts, and told his eldest daughter how much he loved her and how proud of her he was. He signed it with a flourish, "Love, Papa." Then he placed the card on top of the tissue paper before putting the lid on the box and, somewhat clumsily, wrapping it and setting it to the side.

The second gift caused him much more excitement. This box contained the very special gift for Cora, and Robert hoped it was as lovely as the picture had been. As he opened the box and pushed aside the tissue paper, he was pleased to note that it was actually even lovelier than he could have imagined. He picked up the garment, and examined it with a wide grin. It was a chemise of soft peach, beribboned and with several bows tying the lacy front together. The hem, which would reach not quite to the knee, had a wide peach satin band around it, with tiny ribbon rosettes. Even better, and what made Robert's blood quicken: the fabric was utterly sheer.

Robert stood with the chemise held up in front of him and imagined how this diaphanous garment would look on his lovely wife. He could see quite clearly in his mind's eye the drape of it over each of her delicate, slender curves, and he thought of how it would be to watch her walk across the bedroom to him with nothing but that garment on, with her lips curved in that saucy smile of hers. He imagined touching her, of molding her breasts with his hands and being able to see her nipples harden through the fabric. And he couldn't wait to untie each of those bows in the front and slide the chemise off her shoulders and watch it drop to the floor….

Shaking himself, he realized his thoughts had had an affect on his body. He grinned and put the chemise back into the box, again making sure the tissue paper covered the fabric completely, and sat at his writing table once more. This note took him considerably longer than Mary's had, and read: "My dearest, loveliest Cora. I wanted to give you something as beautiful as you are, but nothing I've found comes close. However, I think this might give you pleasure – will most likely give us both pleasure. Perhaps for Christmas, you can give me you, wrapped in this, and I will tell you, show you, slowly and with utmost appreciation, just how beautiful you are, and how much I love you – by untying these bows and 'unwrapping' you. I cannot wait to feel you against me, your creamy, silky soft skin against mine…. Your gift to me, the gift that keeps giving, one that excites and thrills me every day, my darling one. All my love for you, Robert."

Reading the card through again, Robert smiled and walked over to complete the wrapping ritual one last time, trying to take a bit more care with this most special gift, but finding he still had no finesse with the Christmas paper, especially as he was still thinking extremely salacious thoughts, which were causing an acute physical reaction. He chuckled and reminded himself that he needed to label the outsides of these boxes as well. But before he could, he heard a knock at the door that joined dressing room and bedroom, quickly grabbed both gifts, and pushed them underneath the bed, just in time. The door opened to reveal a smiling Cora.

"And what might you be doing in here, my darling, all alone on Christmas Eve?" she asked.

"Nothing, Cora." He knew he sounded guilty, but tried to cover it with a grin and a version of the truth. "Just thinking of you."

"You were?" She blushed slightly before giggling and walking over to press herself against him, and whisper in his ear. "I can tell." Cora brushed a hand against the front of his trousers, where his arousal was evident. "Might you tell me what thoughts brought you to this state?" she whispered teasingly.

Robert ran his lips over her jawline gently and his hands over her shoulders and then down her back. "Perhaps I'll simply show you. If you have no objections, that is…." His voice had already adopted a husky tone, particularly because her hand was still brushing against his trouser front. His hands dropped lower to cup her bottom gently, just as his mouth dipped down to her collar bone.

"Oh God, Robert…." she breathed, pressing her hand harder against him and using the other hand to open one button on his shirt, so she could lightly brush her fingers against a nipple. To her great pleasure, his arousal stiffened even more and his nipple hardened at her touch.

He pulled his lips from her collarbone and placed them on hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth, setting up a rhythm with it that he meant to be a foreshadowing of the rhythm he would set with their bodies in a matter of minutes. Cora removed her hands from him, eliciting a deep groan from her husband, to be replaced by an even deeper groan of pleasure as she reached around and slipped her hands under the fabric of his trousers and undergarments to squeeze his bare bottom, guiding him even closer to her, pressing his arousal into her hip. With this, he moved his hands slightly lower and lifted her up just enough to walk the several steps to the dressing room bed, and lay her down upon it, still kissing her.

Squeezing his bottom once more, she removed her hands and started to unbutton his shirt and then his trousers, her fingers deft and fleet from years of practice. Then she wrapped a hand around him, moving it up and down, causing him to moan with pleasure. His lips left a trail of kisses to her neck, where he used mouth and tongue in a way that made her sigh and pant. Robert ran his hands up her legs, pulling her skirt up with it, and, reaching her waist, pulled down undergarments, grazing his hands against her hips as he worked to bare as much of her skin to him as possible.

Just as he was about to move his hands up to unbutton her blouse, she began squirming beneath him. His eyes sought hers, and, when they met, she sighed one word: "Please." Robert knew, after over thirty years of their love-making, that Cora could wait no longer, and he leaned down closer to her and kept his eyes on hers as he placed his hands on her hips. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he finally joined their bodies together, beginning a slow rhythm. A low trilling noise escaped Cora's throat, a noise that encouraged Robert to thrust deeper and faster, to bend down and cover her mouth with his. Her tongued darted into his mouth, imitating the cadence of their bodies. Soon her hips were arching up to meet him, and she became too breathless to kiss him any longer. Pulling his head to her shoulder, she panted and moaned and sighed as she neared the point of release.

Hearing her make these noises of desire increased Robert's own excitement. His fingers glided in a slow, light trail over her hips and down the back of her legs, setting up a contrast with the steady, quick rhythm he had set up, causing her to shudder underneath him. Knowing how close she was, he removed his hands from her legs and cupped her breasts in the same second that he pressed his lips to her throat, his tongue warm and wet against her skin. It was too much for her, and she let out a cry of pure pleasure, her hands sliding down to squeeze his bottom.

"Cora…" Robert moaned against her throat, wrapping his arms around her. Within moments, he thrust into her one final time, breathing her name again just before he became still.

They lay there together, both trying to catch their breaths, Cora tracing lazy patterns up and down Robert's back, he holding her tightly against him. She could feel his heartbeat returning to normal against her breast, and she put a hand on the back of his head, stroking his hair. After a few minutes, he lifted his head and gazed at her face, a slow smile crossing his own. The corners of her mouth twitched and then turned up as well, her expression mirroring his.

Cora spoke first. "Darling?"

"Yes, my beloved," he responded, pulling one hand out from under her to caress her face gently.

She leaned up, her lips close to his ear, speaking in a low voice. "I do hope we can repeat that later on this evening. In the spirit of giving and receiving, you understand."

Robert watched her face take on an expression of mischief and knew that his own must have lit up at this. Then he chuckled. "That sounds a very Christmas-y thing to do, my dear."


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is turning into a three chapter fic, instead of two. I hope you enjoy this second installment - more to come!

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Christmas Day, 1920

Robert stood in his dressing room once more, frowning down at the two gifts he'd retrieved from under the bed. It was nearly noon, time to be downstairs to have luncheon and exchange gifts.

He and Cora had spent a lovely Christmas Eve "in the spirit of giving and receiving," as she had suggested. And, as there were no small children in their household for them to watch open gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas morning, they'd been deliciously lazy and spent their morning sleeping in and making love. Cora had been somewhat surprised that they had spent much less time on the former activity than the latter, but Robert couldn't stop picturing how she would look in his gift for her.

She had been surprised, yes, but certainly not about to protest.

But now that Bates had dressed him and left, Robert realized he might have a problem. He had thrown the gifts under the bed so hastily yesterday afternoon that he wasn't exactly sure which of the nearly identically wrapped gifts belonged to whom. He had even picked one up in each hand and weighed them, but they felt the same. "Confound it," he mumbled, staring at them as if one might jump up and announce itself as Cora's or Mary's.

A knock came at the dividing door, followed by Cora's voice. "Darling, are you ready to go down? We'll be late if we don't go soon."

"Damn," he cursed under his breath. He called through the door, "Cora, you go ahead down. I'll be there in a moment. I'm just trying to…. trying to figure something out." Which was, unfortunately, the absolute truth.

"Alright, Robert. But don't be too long."

He listened for her bedroom door to close behind her, and sighed heavily, thinking as he stood.

"Well," he said aloud to himself. "There definitely isn't time to unwrap and rewrap even one of these gifts." He continued to stare at them. "I know I took more care wrapping Cora's gift…." He examined each carefully, and decided the one on the right appeared to be wrapped with far more precision. Nearly satisfied that this one had to be Cora's, he affixed a label to it indicating giver and recipient, and then did the same with the box he'd determined to be Mary's.

Taking a relieved breath at having averted disaster, he carried both gifts downstairs and added them to the pile under the tree, joining his family for luncheon. In their Christmas mirth – as well as mediating between Isobel and his mother, in addition to Edith and Mary, neither of whose battles seemed to cease, even for the holiday – he forgot his earlier predicament and relaxed, surreptitiously making eyes at his wife across the table every so often.

After luncheon they all went into the library, where the presents had been placed by a couple of footmen before they had gone down to their own Christmas luncheon. Edith and Matthew volunteered to pass out the gifts, and when everyone had a stack of presents in front of them, they all began to rip open wrapping paper and boxes. Robert, who was sitting next to Cora, kept glancing out of the corner of his eye to see when she would open his gift. Everyone was having a jolly time, holding up what they'd received, expressing delight and appreciation, and praising the appropriateness, utility or beauty of the gifts received by others.

Robert couldn't concentrate properly on any of it.

He had unwrapped only a couple of his gifts and barely heard the snarky comments from his mother about Isobel's gift (a yearly occurrence). He should have been reveling in the fact that all his other painstakingly chosen gifts appeared to be going over very well. Edith could not praise his choice of hat for her enough, Rosamund exclaimed excitedly over her shoes, and even Mama seemed agreeably astonished and visibly moved by the brooch he had selected for her. He finally observed that Cora had nearly gotten to the bottom of her stack, and he realized that his gift was the last one. Mary hadn't opened her present from him either, and he saw that hers was also the last one.

Cora turned to him, perplexed. "Are you feeling alright, my dear? You're not even halfway finished with your gifts."

Robert conjured up a wide smile to cover how nervous he was becoming, having finally recognized that perhaps his gift was a trifle intimate to have given her in this setting. "Perfectly fine, darling. I'm simply too intent upon watching everyone else." He kissed her cheek.

Mary and Cora got to their last gifts at almost the same moment, and Robert told himself he was being silly for being nervous. His wife simply wouldn't hold her gift up like everyone else had. She ripped into the paper, and exclaimed at the Paris labels on the box. Lifting the lid, she picked up the card, ruffling the tissue paper slightly. Just as she was about to open it, Robert noticed through the slight gap in the tissue paper that the garment inside was blue.

Blue.

Robert gasped and laid a hand on Cora's knee, gripping it a little more tightly than he probably intended. Startled, she dropped the card back into the box and turned to him. "What on earth is the matter?" But he wasn't looking at her. He nodded, and she followed his gaze across the room to Mary, who had just opened the card on top of her gift. Robert knew he should stop her from reading it, remembering the words he'd written, meant for Cora's eyes only… but he found himself frozen in place, his voice sticking in his throat.

Mary perused the card as Robert and Cora watched – Robert horrified, his hand still on Cora's knee, and Cora very confused. As she read the card, Mary's eyebrows continued to climb higher and higher, until it seemed to her papa that they would soon touch her hairline. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried that she appeared unembarrassed. Without looking at either her mama or papa, Mary put the card underneath the box and carefully parted the tissue with a little smile. Eyebrows still arched, she rearranged the tissue back over the garment and placed the card on top, replacing the lid.

Matthew gave her a curious look, and asked, "What's wrong, Mary?"

Only then did Mary's eyes meet her papa's, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she wanted to widen her smile into a mischievous grin. "Nothing, Matthew. Nothing at all."

Very coolly, and very smoothly, she stood up and crossed the room to her mother, whose face was a study in confusion. "I think this is for you, Mama." Mary gently lifted the box off her mama's lap, replacing it with the gift she'd opened. She held the box containing the shawl in front of her, looking once again at her father, her eyebrows still very high on her forehead, and merely asked, "This one is for me, yes?"

Robert nodded dumbly, watching her walk back over to her place beside Matthew. He turned to Cora, who had started reading the card he'd put in with her gift. A slow blush crept up her neck, then reddened her cheeks, spreading to the tips of her ears. She kept glancing over the card to Mary, which seemed to make her blush harder, knowing her daughter had read this. After she finished reading, she looked over at her husband, whose expression was so mortified that she couldn't help grinning a little, even as she knew her face had to be red as the bows on the Christmas tree. She parted the tissue paper as Mary had done, and started to giggle in spite of herself, touching the fabric, but wisely refraining from lifting it out.

Cora's giggle attracted the attention of her mother-in-law, whose stare took in Cora's face and her son's expression, which had become difficult to read at this point. "Am I missing something?" Violet inquired. "Is there something you'd like to share with the whole room, Cora?"

Her blush renewing itself, Cora looked over at Mary, sharing a knowing look with her daughter, causing her to giggle again, as she remembered her speech to her eldest about "terrific fun" on her wedding day. Mary's eyes shifted to Violet, who was now looking between mother and daughter, mystified. "Granny, I believe Papa would rather Mama didn't show her gift to anyone else. You'll have to believe me when I say that she is satisfied with it… or soon will be."

Robert's own face turned red at this, looking as if he would be quite happy if the settee swallowed him up, and Cora found herself trying to hide more giggles behind her hand. Matthew and Edith shared perplexed looks, Rosamund rolled her eyes, Isobel seemed amused – possibly without knowing exactly what was going on - and Violet merely shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh, saying, "Really, Mary, you needn't have added that last part."


	3. Chapter 3

Third and final chapter, quite a lengthy one, too, but I hope you enjoy!

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Christmas Day, Evening, 1920

Robert sat quietly, finishing his Scotch, half listening to Mary and Matthew chatting happily together. Isobel and Mama had been bundled into the motorcar an hour or two earlier, and everyone else had excused themselves as they got too tired, and made their way up to their rooms for bed.

Cora had been one of them. Robert feared that he'd ruined her gift for the both of them.

Everyone had eventually settled down after Mary's remark and Violet's admonishment, a few of the family still not knowing exactly what any of it was about - _thank God_, Robert thought. The remaining gifts had been opened; everyone oohed and aahed over Mary's shawl, particularly Mary herself. They had dinner and charades as usual, and everyone appeared happy and enjoying Christmas. But every time Robert locked eyes with his wife, she would quickly look down, a blush in her cheeks. By the end of the night, he did everything he could to avoid looking at her, not wanting to cause her any more embarrassment.

Finally, Mary and Matthew stood, and Robert stood as well, to bid them goodnight. He and Matthew shook hands, and he embraced his daughter and kissed her cheek. Mary examined his face, becoming concerned about how tired – or possibly something else – he appeared.

"Papa?"

"Yes, Mary?" He sounded… weary? Disappointed? She couldn't quite make out exactly what. But she waited until he looked at her before she continued, finding that she wanted to reassure him somehow.

"I love my gift. It's absolutely beautiful. In fact, you did a wonderful job choosing presents for everyone." She smiled. "I thought that even Edith looked lovely in that hat," she joked – although she sincerely thought that.

She was rewarded with a slight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It wasn't enough.

Mary turned to Matthew. "Darling, I want to talk to Papa for a moment. I'll follow you up in a few moments." She gave him an encouraging nod of the head, and he left the room.

"Papa, what is bothering you? Please tell me." He didn't answer, but she thought she detected a slight flush coming to his face. "If it's what happened earlier, I am sorry. I shouldn't have read that card once I realized it wasn't meant for me…."

"It's not your fault, Mary. I got distracted when I got to a certain point of wrapping your gifts, and I didn't get chance to look again before I labeled them. It's my mistake, and I'll take the consequences of it." He examined his hands as if they were the most fascinating things he'd ever seen, a flush most definitely evident now to Mary.

"If it makes any difference, I AM certain that Mama loved your gift. She kept blushing and casting her eyes down all evening, grinning to herself…." She smiled, remembering her mother's face whenever her father would look at her. Since becoming a married woman, Mary felt she understood better how important it was that her parents were as close as they were and loved one another as much as they did.

Robert's head snapped up. "Mary, did you say your mama was _grinning_?"

"Yes, Papa. I'm sure she was. Especially later in the evening." She began grinning herself, and she leaned a bit closer to him. "It's very possible that she is upstairs right now, getting 'wrapped up.' You shouldn't keep her waiting." She arched her eyebrows.

"Mary, how you can say such things to your own papa, I'll never know." But his face was all alight with relief and happiness, albeit bright red. "Goodnight, darling girl." He kissed her cheek once more before starting across the room in all haste.

"Goodnight, Papa." She called after him, smiling knowingly.

Bates was waiting for him in his dressing room, and the valet thought several times that he might have to tell his master to be still so he could undress him properly. Robert was practically hopping to be done with this part of evening, because Mary had given him hope….

Finally, he could dismiss Bates and knock on the dividing door. "Come in," came his wife's voice.

Instead of the electric lamps being turned on as usual, candles had been lit, filling the room with a soft glow. Cora sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair, apparently having decided to do this herself rather than have O'Brien perform this task. When her eyes met his in the mirror, she blushed immediately and looked down as she had done all evening – but this time, Robert noticed the grin wreathing her lips. She put the brush down and pushed her hair back over her shoulders, looking at him again in the mirror.

When Cora stood and turned to face him, Robert felt that his heart might have skipped a beat. She was literally breath-taking. The rosy color of her face touched her neck and reached down her chest, making her radiant. The chemise fit her perfectly, hugging her curves in a manner that caused even his fantasies to fade like a dim black and white image by comparison. The peach color highlighted the alabaster of her skin without being harsh against it. And it was shorter than he'd realized, barely reaching mid-thigh, exposing most of her long, shapely legs.

He could see, even by candlelight, that she wore nothing underneath.

She started walking slowly across the room to him, and the effect was magnificent. The fabric had a kind of luminosity that he hadn't noticed while it was in the box; or perhaps the candlelight simply shone off her exquisite skin. When she reached him, she stood in front of him and gazed up into his face, smiling that saucy smile that he knew so well and had hoped would be part of her ensemble.

Cora tilted her head slightly. "Do you need help picking your jaw up off the floor, darling?" she asked in a low voice, coyly. She could tell that she might have acquired the upper hand tonight, and she planned to utilize it to her own – to both of their – advantage.

Robert's mouth opened and closed several times in answer before it finally shut with a snap. "Um, er, you… Cora, you're…" He stuttered and stumbled over his words, drawing a very low laugh from his wife.

She stepped as close to him as she could get without actually touching him and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, "Weren't you going to unwrap me?"

Robert took one step back, and for one long minute, he neither moved nor spoke, but his eyes swept up and down her body in a way that made her blush even more intensely, feeling as if she might not have the upper hand after all.

Not that she had one doubt in her mind that it would still work out to both of their advantage.

He continued his perusal of her form, delighting in the way she blushed and began to fidget a trifle under his steady gaze. He thought of all the things he wanted to do to make her continue to blush and fidget… and burn and sigh and glow… and look at him with continued desire and love.

Without a word, he picked her up – to a delightful squeal from her – and crossed the few feet to the bed, laying her gently upon it, and then stretched out next to her. He began by caressing her face, then kissing her with both tenderness and passion. He drew back, breathing three words – "you are beautiful" – before moving slowly over her body with his hands and lips and tongue, touching her through the fabric. Cora had never been touched through such a sheer garment before, and his attentions were producing incredible sensations in her. The sounds of her enjoyment spurred Robert on, and she began to writhe slightly next to him.

Hoping to prolong her pleasure, Robert pulled himself level with her head, and kissed her again, not touching any other part of her. She put her hands on his face and deepened the kiss, exploring his mouth with her tongue in a most agreeable manner. After a few marvelous moments of this, Robert detached his lips from hers and sat back. He propped himself up against the pillows and pulled Cora sideways on his lap. She looked at him, excited and curious about what he might do next. He kissed her again, slowly and appreciatively, one hand wrapped tightly around her slender waist, the other working its way languidly down her body, pausing to cup her breast and graze her nipple, making her gasp against his lips. He stroked her legs, the outside and then back up along her inner thighs and underneath the hem of the chemise.

Robert leaned back slightly, resting his hand on her inner thigh and searching her eyes. "Cora," he whispered. "Cora." He spoke her name like a prayer, like a devotion, an adoring acolyte to a luminescent goddess. "Cora," he breathed, still gazing worshipfully into her eyes, as his fingers sought the juncture between her legs, to enter her slowly.

Cora gazed back at him, caught under his spell for a few moments, before she began to move her own hand to the front of his pajama bottoms, where it was unmistakable that he was as stimulated by their activities as she. His hold tightened on her waist as he shook his head slightly. "Not yet, my love." He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered. "Right now is only about you." He kept his lips there to nibble on her earlobe gently as his fingers stroked and fondled and caressed. Robert cradled her with his other arm, moving it up from her waist and leaning her back slightly when he sensed she was ready for his fingers to explore ever deeper.

Exhibiting incredible self control on his own part, (at least Cora thought – as long as she was capable of rational thought – which wasn't for very long), Robert kissed her neck and continued while she gasped and moaned, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Once she started bucking against his hand, he bent down and gently took one of her chemise-clad nipples between his lips, flicking his tongue against it repeatedly. He could feel her grow tighter around his fingers, when she suddenly closed her legs around his hand and stiffened for a few moments, then went limp, breathing heavily. Releasing her nipple, he smiled and buried his face between her breasts while she took time to recover.

Catching her breath, Cora sat up in his lap and looked at him with what she was sure had to be a stupid grin on her face. She whispered teasingly in his ear, "But you still haven't unwrapped your gift. You've caused me to be quite undone, but I remain wrapped."

Robert chuckled slightly, then turned his head so he could whisper back, "Might you unwrap me first?"

Waggling her eyebrows at him, she slid off his lap and began unbuttoning his pajama top, with excruciating deliberation, it seemed to him. He was aching to be inside her now, having seen her, felt her, climax against his hand. It had excited him to a point where he was clinging desperately to coherent thought. And he made the effort, because he still wanted to please his beautiful wife, who was kissing his chest and teasing his nipples with her lips, making it incredibly difficult to hold on much longer. He wanted nothing more than to flip her over and plunge into her, but it was also the last thing he wanted to do. He bit his lip and breathed hard, groaning.

Cora reached his pajama bottoms and pulled the waistband up and over him, then down his legs, throwing them behind her on the floor to join the discarded shirt. She started to bend down, and…

"Cora…" Robert's voice was deep, hoarse with desire, and he looked at her in a way that pleaded with her. As well as he knew what she needed, she knew what he needed….

And so she straddled his legs, and crawled on her knees until she was positioned just right above him. He was still sitting propped up against the pillows, and Robert rested his hands on her hips through the thin fabric of the chemise. Their eyes locked as she lowered herself upon him slowly. Before she could move, though, he shook his head and began untying the bows on the front of the chemise… unwrapping her.

Although he'd wanted to unwrap her slowly, he felt he might lose control if he went too slowly, so he pulled at the ribbons and bows, not roughly, but determinedly. Even in the dim light, he could see a lustful gleam in her eye, and she was already moving slightly against him, moving her body in the tiniest of circles while he finished with the bows. She grinned at him and lifted her arms so he could pull the chemise off. It sailed to the floor in a peach blur.

Cora pressed her breasts up against his chest and wrapped her arms around him, her eyes still on his. In a low voice, she quoted, "I cannot wait to feel you against me, your creamy, silky soft skin against mine…."

Robert smiled, recognizing his own words from the card he'd included with the gift and realizing that she must have read it multiple times and taken it to heart. As she began to set a rhythm, he slipped his arms up around her, pulling her even closer to him. He kissed her as she continued to move against him, faster and with more urgency. He began to feel as is if he couldn't hold on much longer, and he thrust upward with his hips to meet her, stroke for stroke. He nuzzled his head into her neck, just below her ear, and moaned with intense pleasure.

"Robert," she cried out against his hair. "Robert…"

She sat down hard and pressed herself as tight against him as she could, staying still. He pushed up into her one last time, her release triggering his own. They remained that way for several moments, their arms wrapped around one another, before he gently took her head in his hands, lifting it up to look deeply into her eyes.

"Now wasn't that a gift worth unwrapping?" he asked.

She grinned at him, remembering his card again. "And one that will keep on giving, I hope."

"So do I, darling." Robert brushed her hair back from her face, began playing with it. "Cora, you are beautiful and incredible, and I love you more every day."

Tears sparkled in her eyes at his words. She smiled at him. "And I love you more every day, Robert. My steady, predictable husband, who is also a constant surprise. Merry Christmas, my love."

Robert kissed her, and then said, "Merry Christmas to you, too, my gift who never stops giving."


End file.
